My monster!

I picked this monster last night!  It is a Cherokee Purple and it weighed in just over 2 pounds! 

(sorry for the bad photo, we used my ipod!)

We had rain last week and got 1.25 inches then yesterday another storm blew through that dropped 3/5 of an inch.  It seems like it may be a little late for the crops out in the fields.  In our garden the tomatoes & zucchini are doing great, my beans not so well.

This is my sad picking from last week...

It looks like there may be a few more out there now, but I know I am not going to get my normal 50 quarts canned.

I did get a bushel of peaches put up! I hope to find a good deal on corn & apples soon!

Lets go back to 1845!

                                                             * Image taken in Laura Ingalls Wilder's yard

 We just drove 1600 miles in less than 72 hours...but more than that we traveled back in time!  We started out Sunday morning for Saint Louis.  My friend from high school is a zookeeper and we wanted to meet up with her.  We met up with her about 11:00 and had a fun tour.  It was also a hot tour, a 104 degrees hot tour!  We spent the evening in the pool at our hotel cooling off. 

 The next morning we made the trek to Mansfield, MO to visit the Baker Creek Seed Co and their Pioneer Village.  Besides buying seeds and looking at the gardens and different shops we were able to eat at their vegan restaurant where they serve in season produce grown on their farm.  It was one of the best meals I have had in a long time!

Then we drove to what was  my highlight of the trip...to the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead!  It was amazing!  I have always loved Laura.  I read all of her books when I was a girl, an since I have been an adult I have read her journals and published articles.  She was an amazing woman.  To think that as a child she traveled the nation in a covered wagon, and before she died had flown in an airplane, had electricity & phone!  How times changed during her lifetime!

We were able to go to the museum that contained so many of the Ingalls & Wilder family's things including Pa's fiddle!  Then we toured the farmhouse.  Laura & Almanzo purchased 40 acres and 400 apple trees in the late 1800's.  The home then was a 2 room cabin.  By the early 1900's they had turned it into a beautiful home as it stands today along with 200 acres.  The home is full of their personal items, left the way they were at Laura's death in 1957 at the age of 90.  

After touring the farmhouse, we drove down the road to her "Rock House".  This house was built by her only daughter, Rose, in 1927, and was given to Laura & Almanzo as a Christmas gift.  They lived in this house for 8 years, while Rose lived in the farmhouse writing several books.  As soon as Rose moved out and to New York, Laura moved back to the farmhouse.  They said it was really "home" to them.  During the 8 years that Rose lived in the farmhouse she had electricity installed.  Laura's kitchen today has a small electric stove next to her wood cook stove.  They used timber & stone from Rocky Ridge Farm to build both homes.  They are truly beautiful.

We then left Mansfield and headed back to Saint Louis for our hotel.  The next morning we visited the Laumeier Sculpture Park.  We walked the "outdoor gallery", which is several acres of large modern sculptures.  It was fun & I am glad we did this at 8:00 in the morning as the heat was all ready creeping up into the 90s.  

After the sculpture park we headed home.  As we were going through Illinois we recognized a town we were about to pass from a movie we had just watched called "Odd Roadside Attractions".  We were about to pass the world's largest catchup bottle!  We made a pit stop so that we could drive through town to see it!

Then further in IL we read a sign for the Lincoln Historic Home Site, and thought that sounded fun.  It was so neat!  It was the cabin & barns of Abe Lincoln's dad & step mom, along with an adjoining farm.  They had actors, farm animals & gardens...they were "living" back in 1845.  It was so much fun!

Then after several more hours of driving we finally made it home!  Home Sweet Home! 

Zucchini & hamburger bake

 Since the family was getting tired of salads and we had zucchini ready I made a zucchini & hamburger bake.  It was really easy! I grated my medium zucchini along with an onion.  I sauteed that using 1/4 cup of butter until the onion was soft.  I added 1 tsp of onion powder, parsley, oregano, salt & pepper.

  I also chopped and added one clove of garlic...from the garlic I harvested last week! 

 I mixed that all together and put it in the oven for about 10 minuets to "crisp" it up a bit.  In the mean time I browned a pound of hamburger.  When the zucchini was done I tossed it all together and topped it with some Parmesan cheese.  It was delicious and will be on the menu several times this summer!

I am not a biker chick....

My husband & dad were going on a ride tonight and they had invited a few friends.  I thought it would be fun to go, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up.  I "forced" my 13 year old to tag along so we could head back early together.  I am glad I did.  Zach & I did 5 miles while the guys did 25.  Hey, at least I know myself well enough to know I couldn't hang with the big boys!  Anyway, I had fun with Zach. 

When I got home I spent some time outside & watered the garden since the rain missed us one again!

 I the photo above, the barrel contains some of my herbs.  What you see in the front is stevia.  I was excited to find some seeds for it this year in town!  It is amazing how sweet it is!

The girls were enjoying the sun going down...

It is water-proof....and blue!

Have you ever seen someone so happy to get a cast? 

His first question after leaving the doctor, "Can I go swimming?" 

I had hoped that he could go out and play in the rain, but it looks like the rain

 skipped us again.

We need rain...

It is so hot & dry.  Tonight I spent the evening  spreading straw on the garden.  I watched this movie a few weeks ago and have not been able to get it out of my mind
http://backtoedenfilm.com/

In his gardening style he never tills.  His garden has layers of wood chips over the soil.  Doing that he never has to water.  The moisture is kept in the ground, it doesn't evaporate with the heat.  It also helps prevent weeds.  I couldn't get my hands on wood chips, but I was able to pick up a bale of straw for $5.00.  It should do the same basic principal.  Oh, another thing I loved about the film was how he uses scripture to back what he says.  That was awesome. 

Here are a few photos of the garden, before the straw was added...

We have 3 raised beds.  One bed is 4x4 and full of strawberries. A 4x8 is what I call my "salad garden" with lettuce, radishes, swiss chard, beets, okra, beans and spinach.  We also have a 4x16 that has turnips, cabbage, onions, peppers, carrots, eggplant, spaghetti squash, garlic, broccoli and cauliflower in it. This year the tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon, cucumbers, more cauliflower, green beans and tromboncino squash are planted in the ground.  Our grapes are doing great.  The raspberries look so-so, I think next year they will take off.  I have harvested a ton of peppermint so far and have been enjoying the best ever peppermint tea. 

We also have a herb garden  and in addition to the peppermint  have catmint, dill, rosemary, chives, stevia, lemon balm, chamomile, basil and oregano.

Tonight for supper I steamed these beets, they were delicious!  We also had salad with chicken breast and black beans. 

Tomorrow is a big day for my oldest son...hopefully he gets his cast!  He broke his arm 2 weeks ago during football practice.  He had surgery to set it, and has been waiting for the swelling to go down so he can get his cast.  Who would ever think a person would be happy to get a cast!  The doctor had mentioned a waterproof one and Noah is wanting to go swimming so bad.  Maybe tomorrow!

A little history...

In the fall of 2008 my husband & I made a "to do" list.  It included:

Plant a garden
Build a chicken coop
Raise meat chickens
Raise hens for eggs
Raise meat rabbits
Start a worm farm
Raise a pig
Put in a wood stove
Start a compost pile
Use a rain barrel
Can as much as I can

That was our original list, and along with those things we learned to do even more!
Make butter
Butcher rabbits
Bake fresh bread
Harvest heirloom seeds
Butcher a cow
Milk a cow
Use the clothesline
Make laundry soap
Cook on the woodstove

When I tell some people about our dream of getting back to the basics, or living more off of the land, they think I am crazy. They ask why I would want to do all of that extra work. I feel like my family is worth it. I am so happy when I make a meal and can look at it and know it came from our own back yard. I know that there have not been nasty chemicals given to the animals or sprayed on the veggies. I feel like I am feeding my family food the way God intended for us to eat it.

Here it is, 4 years later.  We are still living the dream.  The garden has increased in size.  Our flock of hens is up to 7. We still have rabbits.  We are constantly cutting wood.  Life is busy, and we love it that way.